The fourth round of grants totaling $360,000 will be awarded to community-based organizations addressing the effects of the opioid crisis.
PHILADELPHIA — Today, the City of Philadelphia opened the 2024 grant application cycle for the Kensington Community Resilience Fund (KCR Fund), a participatory funding partnership between community members, the City, and local foundations created to award a portion of the national settlement to local organizations now dealing with the negative effects of the opioid epidemic.
As part of the national settlement, Philadelphia will receive approximately $200 million over 18 years. Since the settlement, the City has been investing the initial payments into an array of crisis response strategies, including both citywide and neighborhood programs, as well as efforts to address the individual and community impacts of opioids.
Working with input from community members, The KCR Fund provides grants to address the negative impact of the opioid and overdose crises on residents in the Kensington, Harrowgate, and Fairhill neighborhoods. In addition to the City’s settlement funds, the KCR Fund receives financial support from the Scattergood Foundation, the Patricia Kind Family Foundation, and the Nelson Foundation. The Scattergood Foundation works with the City to manage the community-driven funding model and provides capacity-building support to smaller grassroots organizations that deal directly with the community.
In its fourth round of grantmaking, The KCR Fund will be awarding $360,000 through $10,000 general operating grants. At the end of this grant cycle, $1.12 million in funding will have been awarded through the KCR Fund since it launched in 2021.
Residents and community leaders are front and center in the work, from setting funding priorities and eligibility criteria to selecting which organizations receive grants. The KCR Fund’s targeted geographic footprint is also informed by its Community Advisory Committee. “The KCR Fund gives me hope and makes me feel differently about my community than I did years ago,” said Roxy Rivera, a long-time Kensington resident involved with the KCR Fund since it began. “This is an arena where residents can say what they want and what they need. It’s a wonderful grant program and we are honored to have it in our community.”
Grants provide flexible funding for a variety of operations and program costs, including critical start-up funding for grassroots and community-led programs. Organizations must focus on at least one of the following issue areas identified as leading quality of life priorities by the community:
● Beautification and Blight Removal
● Building Resilience, Promoting Wellness, and Addressing Community Trauma
● Connecting Residents to Resources
● Public Safety
● Workforce Development and Training
● Youth Development
Grantees are also invited to free workshops and community events. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be part of this work,” said Brenda Mosley, founder of two-time grantee By Faith, Health, and Healing and a fund participant. “I’m grateful to be part of something that brings joy, hope, and healing to organizations on the ground doing the work and making things happen.” Residents in the Community Granting Group (CGG) gain valuable skills and knowledge about their community as they work to support solutions for the harm inflicted on the community by the opioid crisis.
Ramon Cruz, CGG member shared, “The granting group allowed me to see how many organizations are doing amazing work in our community. The KCR Fund empowers residents and groups to do better, to do more, and to hold each other accountable. Being part of the work has been healing and has allowed me to give back to my community.”
Funding is available to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and fiscally sponsored groups physically located in the KCR Fund geographic boundaries or bringing a track record in the footprint. Eligible organizations may apply for a grant from the KCR Fund through the Scattergood Foundation’s website until Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.
All materials and the funding application are available in Spanish and English. A printable copy of the 2024 Request for Proposals can be downloaded here:
Interested organizations should attend one of two upcoming information sessions:
Contact Ashley Feuer-Edwards, Director of the KCR Fund, (ashley@afestrategies.com) with any questions or to discuss opportunities to support and partner with the fund.
